2. Hope and Healing
Slide 2 of 3
in My penguin friends, Actor Jean Reno plays a man (named Joan) who has been grieving for years the death of his young son, who drowned at sea while on a boat. (The first few minutes of the film show a young Joan laughing and playing with his family and son, before tragedy strikes.)
Just like in real life, Joan discovers a penguin covered in oil and cleans it up before releasing it back into the wild, only to be surprised when the penguin returns – just like in real life, he’s named “Dindim.”“ (In the movie, a little girl from the neighborhood names the bird.)
“I need to go home.“ Joan says:
“He’s lucky to have found you,“ The fisherman tells Joan.
Joan realized that the penguins thought of her as family, so she built a small penguin house outside. Joan took Dindim around town, and people, young and old, marveled at the creatures they had never seen before up close. But Joan insisted that Dindim was not a pet.
“A friend, not a pet“ “He chose to be with us,” he said, correcting the townsman.
Still, Joan plays with the little one, pets him and cares for him just as she would a dog or a cat.
Soon after, a group of marine biologists come across Dindim on the beach and tag the penguin to release him back into the wild. They then find a viral video of the tagged penguin and are astonished by its loyalty to Joan and surprising closeness to humans. The story takes a turn when the marine biologists’ superiors ask them to capture Dindim for research. Thankfully, this movie has a happy ending.
My penguin friend It’s a story that focuses on hope and healing amid tragedy. Towards the end of the film, Joan’s wife tells her husband, “I never thought it was your fault.“ Joan even gets a chance at redemption when Dindim is injured and lost at sea, and he and a few friends launch a daring rescue mission.
This film beautifully depicts one of God’s greatest blessings, depicting how animals like Dindim can be a source of deep friendship, comfort and healing.
Photo credit: ©Roadside attractions
